philmayfield

I doubt that few people find shopping a pleasure. Not having to go to the shops gives me time to do more interesting or essential things at home. It was not until the enforced lockdown that I even thought about not going to the shops. I would get in the car and drive to Newark to buy something that cost less than the fuel used. Now I can place my order and it arrives the next day. If I want banter I can walk to the local - at least I will do when that gets back to normal. I’m buggered if I’m going to reserve a table to to get a pint. Will ‘normality’ ever return?

The shops come to me now in a van. They keep a safe distance and are always very polite. The only shop I ever go to is the one in Fiskerton village and, apart from a screen at the till, it’s the same as it’s always been. As the nearest major shops are a 20 mile round trip away Amazon Prime is all that I need.

I’m just saying ‘only’ 45% compared to 50%.

It’s only 45% and that’s for over £150,000 income. However at that amount you do forfeit your allowances.

Try the dictionary. It's a boring read but it does explain every word as it goes along.

Nagging, numbing, nursing, nailing. I could go on!

‘Unto those that hath shall be given’. It says so in the Bible so it must be alright!

Just another gentle typo correction Col. from one pedant to another. There’s no ‘e’ in Bridgford.

We always say they were a leaving present!

I have some 'souvenirs' from the old Welbeck Hotel. Two rather nice etched decanters. An uncle of mine worked there before the war!

Didn't think hedgehogs caught birds. edit: just checked, they eat ground nesting birds.

You can get the hand raised versions of those at the Old Pie Shop in Melton. They're not bad.

I don't think they travel well. Billinge is beyond their limit!

I’m a bit of a pork pie connoisseur. Pork Farm’s used to be good but they’re just bland, mass produced, indifferent pies now. I though the best pies locally were from Jack Bailey’s at Upper Broughton but that butcher’s shop is now sadly closed. About 20 years ago a group of us used to meet in our local at early doors and we’d try to bring in a pork pie which we’d bought on our travels. It made for an interesting tasting experience! Can anyone recommend a really good local pie for me to sample?

Car commuters won’t pay the rip off City all day parking charges so they park in the suburbs for free and catch the bus in. Now where will they park?

I just can't see things getting back to any sort of normality for the foreseeable future. If a vaccine is found it will take some time to inoculate 70 odd million people. An oral vaccine would be better. The pills could be posted to us!

It just won’t be worth the hassle to go out. It makes a visit to a pub/restaurant a clinical excercise. I just can’t see the pleasure in doing it.

There's a new one started this week. "Times Radio". Bit like Radio 4

The Forest.

Thanks for that BK. Newark’s my local town and I’ve never seen that in the 58 years I’ve been going there. I’ve just found out where it is and I don’t think I’ve ever walked down that passageway beside the church.

Sorry, but I can’t read it.

I think Boris was probably the best of a bad lot. Obviously Labour had no hope with their poor, indecisive leader but Boris had a certain amount of appeal to the masses with his charisma. Whether he will stay the course of this parliament when his lack of ability is fully realised remains to be seen. I can't see an obvious replacement at the moment.

I got about three. It was very difficult! I went to get the camera half an hour before and got the message 'battery discharged'. As my Nikon was the only one with a proper zoom lens I hastily put it on charge and it filled up pretty quickly. Try tracking a Red Arrow across the sky. It ain't easy!

We’ve got a Sebo as our main wired machine. It’s supposed to be one of the best. My wife said it wasn’t picking up very well last week. No wonder - absolutely every pipe and every orifice was blocked solid! It’s perfect now after a bit of attention. We also have a Bosch battery powered which is excellent and much lighter than the tank-like Sebo. We also have a hand-held G Tec battery operated which is handy for the stairs. We had a Dyson once but didn’t like it. We had the service engineer round twice during the warranty period. All Dyson stuff seems grossly overpriced. No wonder James Dyson i

No doubt they’ll be coming along the Fosse to sample our curry houses. We could be the next town in lockdown. We’re a bit isolated here at the moment as the level crossing is closed during the working day for a week for road works, so a trip into Nottingham is an extra 10 mile diversion. The joys of Newark beckon, although that’s gained notoriety with a recent shooting at the Gypsy site on Tolney Lane. Just a ‘family’ argument I think.